Friday, February 28, 2014

Another Week, Another Round of Hills

Happy Friday everyone! Not having any Friday classes means my weekend starts Thursday at 7 after my intercultural communication class. My last post was about making sleep a priority and am I happy to report Wednesday night I went to bed around 10:30 and slept until 8:30 Thursday morning. It was just what I needed.

Despite this extra sleep, my body is still feeling the effects of a solid week of training so far. I won't get into the nitty-gritty too much here since I'll be recapping the entire week in a few days but three days of swimming in a row plus lifting has left my arms like noodles. I ran easy on Tuesday and noticed some tightness in the back of my calf that extended to my shin. It was very subtle but enough to notice it. I debated whether or not to do my hill repeats on Wednesday but ultimately decided to go off of how it felt that day.


I noticed the tightness off and on during the hill repeats but it was mostly off so I kept going. Once I got back to my apartment I noticed that the tightness was still there as well as some twinges. I tried rolling, icing, sticking and stretching and nothing seems to be doing the trick. Right now I'm not too concerned about it because it doesn't actually hurt but I did decide to skip my Thursday morning run just to play it safe. I'm going to test it out this weekend so see how things are.

So back to the hill repeats. Wednesday evening I did my second set of hill repeats this training cycle. I like doing hill repeats before diving back into true speed work because hills build strength and speed and you are less likely to get injured. Last week I was frustrated with how the workout went but as Laura reminded me, the important thing is that I'm getting out there. Right now I'm feeling like my endurance is pretty decent but my speed is lacking.

From last weekend's sunset puppy walk

I felt good on my warm up, trying to get my heart rate up a little but not too much. I noticed during Wednesday's warm up and Tuesday's run that my easier runs are feeling easier. For a few weeks all my runs felt challenging no matter how much I slowed down. This week I felt like I was gliding.

I forgot to hit the lap button after finishing my warm up so I don't have the split for my first repeat but here's a comparison between this week and last week.

2/19 - 6.7 miles, 9:37 avg - 8:44, 8:32, 8:48, 8:39, 8:41
2/26 - 7 miles, 9:44 avg - 8:39, 8:36, 8:29, 8:35

Still not even close to where I was last year but I made progress and I'll take it. One thing I'm learning is that progress, even if it isn't much, still means moving in the right direction. I had three surgeries that took me out of the pool for months at a time and left me feeling like I would never be able to swim well again. Three times I proved myself wrong. I know I will get back to where I want to be, it just may take more time than I would like. If I keep putting in quality work and keep making progress I will be better than I was yesterday and that's what matters.

Happy weekend!

2 comments :

  1. Every time I think my calves are feeling better, they get tight again. Injuries SUCK. Sounds like good runs to me :)

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  2. I love that you are getting out there and doing Hills frequently, it really is going to do wonders for you. Good reminder for me to get my butt out there too! Keep at it, the endurance AND the speed will be back in no time!

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